


Lost Prince of Saint Petersburg

by ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl, Spunky0ne



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Victor memory loss, Yuko acts as surrogate for Victor and Yuuri, Yuri P. is injured, some not too graphic violence in Chapter 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:13:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl/pseuds/ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: As the world watches, retired skating legend, Victor Nikiforov and new world champion Yuri Plisetsky are injured in a brazen and devastating hate crime. While Otabek watches over Yuri, Katsuki-Nikiforov Yuuri rushes to a Moscow hospital to be by his husband’s side, only to find that Victor has no memory of him, and he is then beset by a legal system that does not recognize their marriage.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 24
Kudos: 78





	1. Red

**Author's Note:**

> A sister story to the Yuuri memory loss story, All Our Yesterdays. It’s all the fault of Picklez80 for convincing me to write them. Enjoy! Love to all, Spunky

“Hey, are you guys almost done in there?” Minako shouted from where she sat in front of the TV in the dining area of Yuu-topia Katsuki, “It’s gonna start soon.”

“I’m just helping Mom with the snacks,” Yuuri called back, “Be there in a minute.”

Minako grinned at Toshiya, who sat, wrapped warmly in a blanket and sipping hot green tea.

“You doing okay, Papa Katsuki?” he asked, “Need a refill on that tea?”

“I’d much rather have some sake,” Toshiya snickered, sipping at his tea again, “but Hiroko watches me like a hawk when I’ve been sick.”

He looked at the TV screen, where several skaters were warming up for the exhibition, and sighed regretfully.

“I feel bad that Yuuri had to miss performing with Vic-chan, because of me.”

Minako gave him a reproving look.

“We all told you not to go blaming yourself. You couldn’t help that you got sick.”

“She’s right,” Yuuri said, smiling kindly at his father, as he and Hiroko arrived with the snacks and placed them on the table, “I wanted to be here and Vitya said he felt much better performing alone, knowing that I would be watching over you. He never had parents looking after him until we were married, so he worries about you and Mom.”

“Oh, but I’m fine now,” Toshiya reassured his son, “I just wish I could have gotten sick later or gotten better sooner so that we could have watched the two of you skate.”

“It’s really okay, Dad,” Yuuri insisted, glancing across the room and watching Yuko rub her pregnant belly and giggle, “I wanted to check in with Yuko anyhow to see how things were going and to make sure the morning sickness wasn’t too bad.”

“I told you it’s just fine,” Yuko laughed, patting her belly again, “Your and Vic-chan’s babies are safe and sound in here, and I am feeling great.”

The three little girls next to her looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“She’s been really grouchy,” Axel whispered.

“ _Super_ grouchy!” Lutz added.

“Like as grouchy as Vic-chan’s Coach Yakov!” exclaimed Loop.

“Grr, I am not!” Yuko huffed.

Yuuri sat down beside Minako, Mari and Takeshi, watching as Yuko and the triplets moved over from where they had been coloring together in the corner of the room. Yuuri’s brown eyes turned to fix on the screen, where Victor was warming up with a triple flip, then he glanced at Yakov, who was busy talking to a disgruntled looking Yurio. Yuuri’s eyes narrowed as Victor gathered speed again and began a three turn.

“Oh man, here he goes,” Yuuri sighed, “Yakov told him, now that he’s over thirty and retired…shit…”

The quad flip, itself, looked beautiful by any standard, but Yuuri didn’t miss the little grimace on Victor’s face as he landed, and he could almost feel the warning pain in his own body.

“Someone’s gonna get yelled at,” Minako chuckled.

“These are _exhibitions_ , not competitions anymore,” Yuuri snapped softly.

“But look at the crowd. Everybody loves seein’ him do that,” Takeshi said appreciatively.

“He’s going to get injured and we won’t be able to even do exhibitions anymore,” Yuuri complained, shaking his head unhappily, “He doesn’t need to be putting that kind of strain on his body.”

It’s no worse that the strain they put on each others’ bodies when they’re romping around the hot springs,” Takeshi whispered to Mari, who choked on her drink and spit some onto the table.

“ _What_ was that you said?” Yuko asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Eh, nothing,” Takeshi grumbled, taking a swig of sake and smirking at Yuuri’s blush.

Yuko gave him a scathing look and he sobered, glancing at Yuuri as Newsman Morooka appeared on the screen, standing outside the skating arena.

“It looks like there are a few nuts out today,” Takeshi observed in a disgusted tone as he spotted a small number of people gathered in a group and holding hand painted signs.

A flicker of concern invaded Yuuri’s brown eyes as he read the signs silently.

“Vitya explained when we were married,” he said solemnly, “that while in Saint Petersburg and even Moscow, it would be pretty safe to be affectionate, although not overly so, in public, when you go outside the bigger cities, some of the smaller communities have very traditional values. We thought that this exhibition was going to be in Central Moscow, but it had to be moved after the rink we were assigned to was damaged.”

“But surely, Coach Yakov has planned for that,” Takeshi asserted.

“Oh, he has,” Yuuri affirmed, “The exhibition team has a couple of bodyguards, and they go out as a group. No one goes out alone. Vitya promised he would stay with the group…though it was mostly because he made Yakov promise to take them out for dinner and drinks after the exhibition.”

“And Yurio can even go, now that he’s eighteen,” Mari snickered, “How _are_ he and Otabek doing?”

“They’re doing great,” Yuuri answered, smiling as the TV returned to shots of the ice rink, where the exhibition was about to begin, “especially since Otabek moved to our rink to train. We rarely see one without the other.”

“Is it true that being with Otabek has made Yurio calm down some?” Yuko giggled.

“We-ell,” Yuuri chuckled good naturedly, “I guess he has calmed down a little and he doesn’t insult Victor and me quite as often, but that might just be because his focus is on Otabek. He still doesn’t listen to Coach Yakov any better and he still gets yelled at a lot.”

“Some people never learn,” Mari sighed, smirking, “but that’s what makes him our Yurio.”

“Will Yurio and Otabek be coming to visit when Vic-chan comes home too?” Hiroko asked.

“I think so. Yeah,” Yuuri replied, “I asked them, like you said, and surprisingly, Yurio said yes right away.”

“He probably likes the food here,” Takeshi snickered.

“It is really good,” Yuko agreed, beaming as she and the triplets dug into their snacks.

The group turned their attention to the TV screen as the arena lights were lowered and a bright circle lit a lone, silvery-haired skater. Yuuri’s smile warmed beautifully and sounds of appreciation went up around the room.

“What a lovely costume our boy is wearing!” Hiroko exclaimed, admiring the silver and white creation that hugged Victor’s slim body.

More spots lit up to highlight the rest of the exhibition group as a rock tune began to play and the group began to skate in carefully choreographed patterns.

“Did Vic-chan choreograph this one?” Toshiya asked.

Yuuri nodded, grinning proudly.

“This is the first performance that he has designed from start to finish,” he related, “He told me that Yakov is beginning to relinquish some things like choreography and jump training to him so that he can _someday_ retire and leave the business to Vitya.”

“Victor’s already making as much of a splash in coaching and choreography as he did in competition before,” Takeshi observed.

“And it seems like you have begun to get some attention for your coaching ability,” Hiroko noted proudly.

“That article about you and Vic-chan I read made it sound like you two are the next big thing set to influence the newer skaters coming into the sport.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri laughed, “Well, Vitya seems to make a big splash whatever he does. I guess I’m good with the athletes who have talent, but need special coaching to overcome their fears and insecurities. I suppose all those years of suffering from my own has made me pretty good at dealing with them. But, it never would have happened except for Vitya.”

Hiroko’s eyes grew soft and affectionate as she watched Victor and the others move through a stunning step sequence together.

“That boy is a true miracle that came to us, isn’t he?” she mused.

“He may be a miracle, but I think he came through Hasetsu like a tornado in tights,” Mari joked, “It was good for Yuuri and it was good for business, yeah, but I’m still recovering.”

“I think it’ll be even longer before Yuuri recovers from their wedding, even though it was two years ago,” Minako added, smirking.

“Especially their wedding _night_!” Takeshi quipped, earning a seething glare from his very pregnant wife.

The first routine ended and the lights in the arena dimmed as the large monitors lit with a playback of an earlier interview Morooka had conducted with Victor and Yakov.

“So, Victor,” Morooka said, smiling, “tell us how retirement has been treating you. Do you have any regrets about leaving competition behind and moving on to coaching and choreography?”

Victor laughed good naturedly.

“Not at all,” he assured the reporter, “Although I do love the challenge of competition, I think that the time was right to step away. I set out as a skater wanting to leave an indelible mark on the skating world.”

“Well, you’ve certainly done that. You still hold a number of longstanding records. You inspired a lot of boys and girls to love skating as much as you do.”

Victor nodded.

“There is a lot of raw talent out there and I’m happy to step back and watch them grow as skaters the way that I once did. As they do, I plan to be there, offering what I can to help them as a coach and choreographer.”

“Yakov,” Morooka said, turning his attention to Victor’s longtime coach, “I understand that you are now, not only coaching Victor and the others on the exhibition team, but you are also training Victor to continue the business you started, training young Russian skaters for competition. How is that going?”

“I feel it is going well,” Yakov said approvingly, “While Victor is still terrible at listening to my advice, he is growing into the job exceptionally well. This year, he will be choreographing several of the routines for my students as well as acting as a jumping coach.”

“Well, if he can teach the new kids to jump as well as he does, we have a lot to look forward to. Thank you both for joining us today, and now to the next number. Victor, you told me before that this next skate was one that you and Katsuki-Nikiforov Yuuri performed at your wedding.”

“It is,” Victor confirmed, his smile growing warmer with the memory, “Of course, Yuuri couldn’t be with us tonight because he had to fly back to Japan to take care of Papa Katsuki while he was ill. So, Yuuri and I will be watching tonight while this skate is performed by two very talented active skaters and members of the exhibition team…Otabek Altin and our own new world champion, Yurio…erm… _Yuri_ Plisetsky.”

In the skater preparation area, Yurio scowled at a smirking Victor as the retired champion grinned and patted him on the back.

“Go on out there and make your fathers proud,” he teased, “You look almost as beautiful as Yuuri in that costume.”

“Shut up, you asshole!” Yurio steamed, a deep flush roaring over his face, “I don’t know why I let you talk me into this.”

“Hmm,” Victor mused, touching a fingertip to his chin, “maybe because you couldn’t resist me stepping back and letting you dance with the handsome _Beka_?”

“Don’t you _dare_ call him that!” Yurio shouted.

“Hush now, it’s time to get onto the ice,” Victor chided him.

“You bastard! I’m going to…!”

“Later,” Otabek sighed, curling an arm around his seething boyfriend and turning him towards the ice, “I don’t know why you let him get to you like that.”

“At least, I do,” Victor snickered, “You _know_ that he blames me for stealing Yuuri away from him when he was too young for a boyfriend and Yuuri didn’t return his feelings anyway.”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE! YOU TAKE IT BACK!” Yurio roared.

“Come on,” Otabek urged him, taking his arm firmly and dragging him onto the ice.

“Vitya!” Yakov snapped, “Stop screwing around and do your job. Your job is to make us look good by putting on an entertaining show, not teasing your skaters to the point of violence!”

“Oh, we were just having fun,” Victor laughed.

“ _You_ may have been having fun, but I doubt very much that Yuri would say the same. You need to take these performances more seriously.”

Victor’s smile faded slightly and he looked out to where Yuri had taken up a position with Otabek behind him and lightly embracing him.

“You know that I do take the performances seriously,” he said more quietly, “and getting Yurio’s aggravation out before he performs actually helps him to skate better. Why do you think he finally _won_ at worlds this year? Did you think it was because Yuuri and me retired together? Because it’s not.”

Yakov gave him a surprised look and Victor continued.

“Yurio wanted to win before, but his emotions were always very high, and he didn’t work them off before he would perform. When I make him yell at me, I take the aggression out of him, and he skates perfectly almost every time. He simply needs to be enraged before skating if he wants to do his best. Didn’t you tell me to adjust the method to fit the skater? Well, you told me to listen and I did. I am choosing the method to fit his unique characteristics.”

Yakov gave him a piqued look and shook his head in frustration.

“I give up. You are impossible!” he complained.

“What?” Victor said, indicating the ice, where Yurio was moving alongside Otabek into perfect side-by-side quads, “Are you saying that’s not beautiful?”

“No,” Yakov snapped, “I am saying you are going to give that boy and aneurysm taunting him like that, so just stop!”

Out on the ice, Yurio laid back and couldn’t help smiling as Otabek’s strong arms captured and supported him. They turned together and his breath was nearly stolen away as he was lifted into the air and had the sensation of flight as his partner turned them in a circle, then let him down gently.

_Victor is an unbearable asshole sometimes, but his choreography is the best in the world. Even though I want to tear his head off right now, I can’t help but feel good being held by Beka like this._

_How dare that bastard uses Beka’s nickname like that! I’m going to…_

His thoughts scattered as Otabek’s arm wrapped around him again and he laid back, looking up into his boyfriend’s entrancing, affectionate gaze.

_That ages ago crush I had on Yuuri Katsuki was nothing. I guess I was really just attracted to his skating, not so much him. I don’t hate Victor for stealing him, just for teasing me about it all of the time. I’m happy with Beka. It’s heaven, competing against him and being loved by him._

_If Victor would just shut his goddamned mouth, I could enjoy this._

His fury slowly drained away as he joined hands with his handsome partner and the two danced together then separated for side-by-side combination jumps. They returned to each other’s arms for a final dance sequence that ended with Yurio in a layback with Otabek leaning over him. Yurio blinked in surprise as his boyfriend’s face came closer and Otabek’s warm lips found his.

_He’s…kissing me…in front of everyone? But Beka’s so private about everything. He’s careful too, knowing that same sex relationships are looked down on._

_Still…I am proud of our love._

_Stop blushing!_

_Stop blushing!_

_Stop blushing, damn it!_

Thunderous applause filled the skating arena as the two bowed and waved to the crowd, then skated back to an exuberant Victor.

“That was _perfect_!” he raved, “You two were wonderful.”

He gave Yurio a cute smirk and a little wink.

“Nice kiss there at the end. You’ve been learning from your devoted parents, eh?”

Yurio broke away from Otabek, hurling profanities in Russian and reaching out with clenching hands as his annoyed boyfriend held him back. Victor turned his back, giving his attention to a group of junior skaters, who were about to go out onto the ice.

“It’s a big crowd, _da_?” he acknowledged, watching the faces of the youngsters for any sign of nervousness, “Go out there and have fun. Show them what you show me every day in your training and they won’t be able to take their eyes off of you. You are going to do great. Go on!”

Victor settled beside Yakov, leaning on the rink wall and watching as the group began their exhibition skate.

“I think these children look better each time I see them,” Yakov observed, “I still say that your approach is unconventional, but it seems that unconventional is just who you are as a coach. Much like when you were skating, you have to determine what works for you. You are doing a good job of that…most of the time, anyway, Vitya.”

“Well, thank you,” Victor chuckled, “That is a huge compliment, especially coming from the greatest coach in Russian history.”

Yakov gave him a rare smile.

“Are you buttering me up so that I will take everyone out tonight, after the show?” he asked.

Victor started to answer, but his attention was torn away as a group of black clad, hooded people entered at the far end of the ice rink and swept into the group of performing skaters.

Up in the observation booth, Morooka gasped in dismay.

“Something seems to be happening on the ice. This is not a part of the performance. Security is racing to them, but…”

The reporter stared in shock as the black clothed intruders removed police styled batons from within their clothes and began knocking down and beating the young skaters while screaming in Russian.

At rinkside, Yakov shouted to the bodyguards, who immediately reached for Victor and Yurio, but found their hands empty as the two champion skaters dashed onto the ice alongside Otabek and a few other older skaters, heading for several cornered youngsters. Victor threw himself into the air and crashed into three of the attackers, bringing them down onto the ice while Yurio skated by and pulled two of the younger skaters away from the ones beating them.

“Get out of here, now!” he warned them, sending them fleeing towards the exit. He turned back to see Otabek punch one of the attackers in the face before shoving another of the younger skaters out of harm’s way.

A sudden shout drew his attention to where Victor was back on his feet, but was now cornered by two of the men he had knocked down and partially unmasked.

“You want to bring your freak show to _our town_ , you misfit! We don’t want you here!”

One of the men lashed out with his baton, just missing as Victor evaded the blow, but a second man caught him around the waist. Yurio jumped on the man’s back, snarling, but the man turned and slammed backwards against the side of the arena and the skater collapsed onto the ice. Yurio rose onto his hands and knees, panting harshly, spots dancing in front of his eyes as he watched Victor tear free of the one who had been holding him. Ice flooded his veins as another man behind Victor raised his baton and swung it at the escaping skater’s head.

“VICTOR!” Yurio howled.

The breath was sucked out of him as he watched the blow land and Victor collapsed in what seemed like slow motion, onto the ice. Yurio threw himself onto his feet, skating towards his fallen friend, who laid prone on the ice with blood leaking onto one porcelain cheek from a cut on his head. As Otabek fought his way towards them, another attacker headed towards Victor, raising his baton to strike again, but Yurio crashed into him, taking him down. He heard a shout behind him and one man grabbed him as the one who had been trying to finish off Victor raised his club again.

“Okay, _fairy of Russia_ , I think you’ve won your last championship.”

Yurio tried to pull away, but the man’s hold on him was too tight. He heard a sickening impact, then pain exploded through his right leg. He heard the arrival of security and felt the attacker holding him let go, then he collapsed onto the ice beside Victor, sinking down into comforting blackness.

_Oh my god…is Victor…?_

_Is he dead?_


	2. In the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Mari and Minako rush to Moscow as Victor and the other injured skaters are rushed to the hospital.

The viewing room of Yuutopia Katsuki went ominously silent, except for the sounds of chaos that issued from the television that the stunned family and friends were watching. Hiroko gasped and her eyes rounded as she clasped Toshiya’s arm. Her husband’s hand reached immediately for hers and he shook his head disbelievingly.

“Oh my god!” Minako managed.

“What the hell…” Mari said breathlessly.

Yuuri had frozen in place, staring in dismay as Victor skated out from the rink entry point, his eyes blazing and his aggressive expression reminding Yuuri of the stories he had heard, that his husband had been in more than a few street fights as a teen. Victor launched his agile body into the air, then he crashed into three of the intruders who had trapped several of the younger skaters, preventing them from escaping attackers who struck at them repeatedly. The four men slammed down violently on the ice, then their bodies disentangled and slid away, striking the rink wall before they stopped.

“Vitya!” Yuuri sobbed, his hands clenching as he watched Victor shove one of the attackers aside and punch a second in the face as he surged back onto his skates.

Victor’s head turned and he looked in the direction of the rink entry, where security personal were rushing onto the ice to help the besieged skaters. But the sight of one of the attackers following as the younger skaters tried to flee made him turn away from safety.

“What is he doing?” Takeshi asked incredulously.

“He’s protecting the children, of course,” Yuuko said, helping as her husband covered the triplets’ eyes, “He’s trying to get between them!”

Up in the media booth at the arena, Mooroka jumped to his feet and ran to the glass barrier, continuing to report as the chaos beneath him unfolded.

“This is terrible! Horrible!” he gasped, “There are injured skaters, defenseless on the ice and the attackers are continuing to beat them while security struggles to reach them. Several of the older skaters are trying to hold them off until help can get to them, but they have no weapons.”

“Vitya…” Yuuri whispered, watching numbly as Victor ducked, narrowly avoiding one swinging baton.

He lost the ability to speak or move altogether as another of the attackers caught the Russian legend around the waist, holding him in place as a second raised a baton to strike at him and Victor raised his arms and clenched fists defensively, to protect his head.

“Stop!” Yuuri mouthed voicelessly.

Yurio jumped onto the attacking man’s back, only to be slammed backwards into the rink wall.

“Yurio!” Minako, Mari and Yuuko shouted together.

Yuuri could feel each heavy, painful throb of his heart as Yurio collapsed onto the ice, panting harshly. With an aggravated snarl, he was on his feet again in a moment and he started towards where Victor had broken away from the man holding him.

“Victor!” Yuuri gasped, reaching out one desperate, quaking hand as he watched Victor turn and start to push off in the direction of the rink entry.

But as fast as he moved, it wasn’t fast enough, and Yuutopia Katsuki went perfectly silent in numb terror as one of the attackers struck at Victor from behind, landing a vicious blow to the side of his head that seemed to steal all of the oxygen from the air inside Yuutopia and left family and friends reeling.

The moment became surreal to Yuuri as Victor’s body was jolted by the impact, then he stiffened for a moment, a look of agony on his handsome face as he went limp and collapsed at his attacker’s feet. Yuuri read the deadly intent in the attacker’s hateful eyes and his heart raced so fast that he felt his body tingle and his vision wavered. But even in that condition, he was riveted as the baton rose again over Victor’s helpless and terrifyingly motionless form. At the last possible moment, then baton froze while its bearer’s eyes found Yurio racing to the defense of his longtime Russian teammate. Yuuri didn’t have to hear his cold laughter to know the man’s intent.

“Y-yurio…” he managed in a heavy, guttural sob, dropping onto his knees in front of the television as the man swung his baton at the new world champion’s legs, “Oh my god…”

_I can’t do anything._

_I can’t help Victor and I can’t help Yurio._

_By the time I can get there…_

“I have to go,” Yuuri heard the words come out of his own mouth, but he could feel no connection any longer to his own body.

“I’ll get you a flight,” Takeshi promised, “Go get your things.”

“I’m going with you,” Minako added, heading for the door, “Takeshi, call me when you’ve got a flight.”

“Got it.”

As he dashed out of the room, Yuuri caught a heartbreaking glimpse of his usually buoyant parents holding each other and he heard the rarest of sounds…Hiroko crying out loud.

“There now,” Toshiya said comfortingly, his arms shaking as he hugged her tightly, “Our Vic-chan and our Yurio-kun are strong boys. They’re going to be all right. Yuuri is going to them. It’ll be okay.”

He glanced over at Mari.

“Why don’t you go too?” he suggested, “Minako will take care of keeping everyone informed and you can take care of Yuuri while he tends to Vic-chan.”

Mari gave her father a conflicted look.

“Are you sure you guys will be okay? Don’t you need me to help out here?”

“We’ll be fine,” Toshiya insisted, “Please go and help them in any way that you can.”

Yuuri’s mind seemed barely connected to his body as he ran to his room and swiftly packed his bag. His fevered mind mercilessly replayed the horrid moment Victor was struck, and his husband’s collapse onto the ice.

_Vitya…please be okay._

XXXXXXXXXX

As the security officers spread out across the now blood splashed ice, slipping and sliding as they hurried to reach the besieged skaters, the masked attackers left off their assault and hurried back across the ice, jumping the wall and fleeing with more officers following. Yakov waited until the way seemed clear, then he motioned to two medics and headed onto the ice.

“Help them!” he roared, pointing to where Victor still laid, prone on the ice, with Yurio groaning in pain and distress and grabbing at his injured leg.

He started to go to Yurio, but the younger skater growled and shoved him away.

“V-Victor! Help Victor, damn it! I don’t know if h-he’s breathing!”

The old coach nodded and squeezed Yurio’s hand.

“The medic is coming for you,” he said reassuringly.

He tried not to notice where a few feet away, one young female skater knelt on the ice, holding her motionless partner in her arms and sobbing.

_My god…_

He turned his attention to Victor and was relieved to see the little rise and fall of his breathing. But blood dribbled down the side of his face, catching on his lips and dripping onto the ice.

“Vitya.”

The Russian legend gave no sign that he heard. Yakov’s hand found Victor’s and he looked around, shaking his head worriedly.

“We need more help,” he breathed anxiously.

He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and carefully worked at stopping the flow of blood that streamed from a gash on the side of the unconscious skater’s head.

“Hang on, Vitya, help is on the way.”

His teeth gritted at the delay, but with at least seven skaters down and four of those unconscious, there was little that could be done. He breathed a sigh of relief as two men and a woman from the audience hurried onto the ice, one of the men heading towards Yakov and Victor while the others rushed to help the other fallen skaters.

“I’m a doctor!” the man called out as he slid a little in his rush to reach them, then he knelt beside Victor and checked his pulse and breathing before examining the wound on the Russian skater’s head.

Careful not to move Victor, he gently opened each lidded eye and checked the pupils.

“We need to get him to a hospital quickly,” the doctor advised, “But we also need to keep his head and neck immobilized.”

More emergency personnel poured in, onto the ice, carrying medical bags and stretchers.

“Hurry!” Yakov called out, “We have several who are badly hurt.”

Two medics rushed to Victor’s side, while two more headed to Yurio. Yakov’s heart sank as he watched another medic who was helping the young junior skater and her partner, gently extract the boy from her tight grip. The girl bit at her lips as the medic leaned over the boy, examining him closely, then he said something to her and she dissolved into tears again as the medic spread a blanket over the boys entire body, before leading the devastated girl away.

The aged coach turned his head to look where two medics leaned over a teary-eyed Yurio, working together to immobilize the champion skater’s right leg.

 _He has to be terrified for himself_ , Yakov thought, _but he is forcing himself to be calm, so that he doesn’t exacerbate the damage. Smart boy._

He heard a little groan escape Victor and his breath caught as the younger man’s blue-green eyes cracked open and tried to focus.

“I think he’s waking up,” he informed the medic.

“Victor,” the medic called loudly, touching the injured skater’s arm, “Victor, can you hear me?”

“It hurts so much _…_ ” Victor moaned in Russian, his words slurring, “Wh-what happened to me?”

“You were hit of the head,” Yakov explained, “Lie still and let us take care of you.”

Victor blinked slowly and shivered.

“Who…are you?”

A jolt went through the old coach’s insides as Victor’s dazed, squinting eyes met his for a moment, and he could see no sign of recognition. Then, the younger man shuddered and lost consciousness again.

“Vitya!” Yakov called urgently.

“Over here, quickly!” the medic attending Victor called to two men holding a backboard.

Yakov moved back, his eyes widened as he watched the medics carefully move and secure the injured skater to prepare him for transport.

“Do you know who is responsible for him?” the doctor asked.

“I am,” Yakov replied, standing and following as the other men lifted Victor and headed for an exit, “I have his permission to make medical decisions if he can’t.”

Yakov caught sight of Georgi, standing nearby, barely holding back tears and hugging a crying Mila.

“Georgi,” he said sternly, “I’m going to the hospital with Vitya. I need the two of you to find out where all of our team members will be sent, and I want you to go to whatever hospital they are taking Yuri to. As soon as you are allowed to go in, do that, and stay with him until I contact you.”

Georgi nodded wordlessly and coaxed Mila along with him as he turned back to where Yurio was being prepared for transport. Yakov hurried to the waiting ambulance and climbed in, taking up a position beside Victor, holding his hand and watching silently as the medic riding in the back monitored the skater.

“Does Victor have any family that will need to be notified?” the medic asked.

The old coach sighed regretfully.

_I warned Vitya that this might happen._

“Vitya has a… _domestic partner_ ,” he answered solemnly, “I will give my permission for him to be at my student’s side as much as he wishes.”

The medic nodded.

“This is in Victor’s medical file?” he inquired.

“Yes. We were careful to have it properly documented.”

“You do realize…”

“That the hospital sets its own rules? Yes, I am aware. Do you think it will be a problem?”

The medic bit his lip gently for a moment, thinking, then he leaned forward and spoke to the driver.

“Moriz, will you please request a change in destination to the Moscow facility?” he asked, “I think they will be better equipped to quickly assess and treat Mr. Nikiforov’s condition.”

“Do you have a legal representative’s approval for that?” the driver asked.

“Yeah, he’s sitting right here.”

“You’ve got it,” the driver affirmed, switching on his turn signal.

“The longer drive won’t hurt Vitya?” Yakov asked.

“Oh, it is a longer drive, but the hospital in this town is already getting several of the injured skaters from the event. Victor will be seen more quickly once we arrive, so the difference will be negligible.”

“Ah, I see. That’s good.”

He turned his attention back to Victor as the skater moaned softly and his fingers twitched under his coach’s hand.

“It hurts…it hurts so much,” Victor groaned, trying to turn his head.

He quivered under the straps that held him in place.

“Shh, hold still, Vitya,” Yakov chided him, brushing several sweaty strands of silvery hair out of his squinting eyes, “We are going to the hospital. You will be okay, but you have to be still.”

“Where am I? wh-where is this place?” the skater persisted, “Please…I…”

He shuddered and broke off, losing consciousness again.

“How much longer will it be until we reach the hospital?” Yakov asked the medic.

“We’re almost there,” the driver said, looking over his shoulder briefly.

“Did you hear that?” Yakov asked, touching Victor’s soft, sweating face, “We are almost to the hospital. Rest quietly now.”

He gave a sigh of relief as the ambulance turned into the hospital entrance and headed for the emergency entrance.

_Be strong, Vitya._

_You have a husband who loves you and you have babies on the way who will need you._

_You are going to be all right._

_You have to be._

XXXXXXXXXX

“Thank goodness we were able to get onto a flight on such short notice,” Mari sighed, settling into the seat beside Yuuri, who was already buckled in and staring wordlessly out the window.

“Takeshi must have bribed somebody,” Minako joked half-heartedly, her eyes studying Yuuri’s tormented expression.

She reached over and touched her anxious friend on the arm, but Yuuri acted as though he hadn’t noticed.

“Hey, he’s going to be okay.”

Yuuri’s head turned and he gave her a doubtful look.

“That guy hit him really hard,” he managed in a choked voice, “Vitya wasn’t moving.”

“She’s right,” Mari agreed, “Victor is tough. Probably, by the time we get there, he’ll be awake and have the entire hospital staff falling all over themselves to spoil him.”

“He does seem to have a way with people,” Yuuri said, brightening slightly.

His expression swiftly sobered again.

“I don’t understand how anyone could want to hurt him like that. I mean, I know not everyone accepts love like ours, but I can’t understand them wanting to hurt us because we love differently than they do.”

Mari shrugged.

“I’m with you. I don’t get it either. You and Victor are good, kind people who would never hurt anyone. Just because you’re both men, they think it gives them the right to beat up on you? That’s crazy.”

“They call it _protecting marriage as a union of one man and one woman_ , and they call homosexual love _unnatural_ ,” Minako added, shaking her head, “but humans are not the only ones who experience same sex love, and I don’t see why they oppose two people in love getting married.”

She gave Yuuri and gentle, affectionate smile.

“Besides, I’ve never seen a cuter couple than you and Victor.”

“To think,” Mari said, smirking, “my dorky little brother snagged the hottest bachelor in the world! That’s an accomplishment.”

“Heh,” Yuuri chuckled, “It was more like I got drunk and made an idiot of myself in front of Vitya, asking him to be my coach.”

“And riding his leg while you asked,” Minako giggled.

“Sto-op!” Yuuri complained, blushing, “The one who swept me off my feet was Vitya. Besides, I think Vitya’s almost as much in love with being a part of our family, as he is with me. He told me before that he never knew what it was like, being part of a real, normal family. He had Yakov and Lilia, but he was an orphan, so Vitya didn’t grow up the way we did. He lived with other orphans in a children’s home, until his talent was discovered, then he was sent to live at the skating academy. It’s just so different from what I knew growing up. Vitya had to be tougher and more independent.”

“That’s right,” Mari agreed, “and Yuuri, that’s why Victor is going to be tough enough to get through this. He’s fought hard battles in his life and on the ice, and now he’s going to fight this one in just that same way.”

“He knows that we’re all here for him,” Minako assured him.

Yuuri gave her a troubled look.

“How do you know that he knows anything right now?” he asked sadly, “I wasn’t there with him when he was hurt. If he’s been conscious at all, he knows I’m not there.”

“Hey, I’m sure he understands it will take time for you to get there,” Mari insisted, “Victor knows you will get to him as quickly as you can.”

“But he’s hurt and he may be confused,” Yuuri worried, “What if he doesn’t know? What if he feels alone and scared?”

“Yakov and his teammates are with him,” Minako reassured him, “Yuuri, Victor is not alone.”

“He hates being alone,” Yuuri said anxiously, “That’s why he made _Stammi Vicino_. I promised him that I would always be beside him…back when we skated that program together, and again when we were married.”

A ragged sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes for a moment and deflated, putting his face in his hands.

“Why did I have to be so far away from him when Vitya needs me most?”

“We’ll be there soon. Hang in there,” Mari said sympathetically.

Yuuri’s throat felt too constricted to answer, but he looked out the window of the plane, his mind in turmoil.

_I just hope…that Vitya hangs in there too._


	3. Haze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri arrives in Moscow and the waiting begins to see how Victor will emerge.

_I feel…cold._

_I only know I’m breathing because of how much it hurts._

_It’s like there are shards of ice in my lungs that sting with each breath._

_My body feels like it weighs nothing, and yet there is the heavy sensation of not being able to move at all as I breathe in the scent of the ice rink. Yes, that place has a scent. The ice has a feel where my body is pressed facedown against it. I must be naked because I feel no separation between us._

_It’s so cold._

_Are my eyes open?_

_It’s so dark._

_How long have I been alone here and unable to move?_

_I can’t remember how I got to be here…or where I was before. I know there were faces and voices and they seem like ones I should know, but here in the dark, everything spins in the blackness and I can’t make sense of it. I feel like I’m waiting for something, or maybe for someone, but I can’t remember what or who._

_I’ve forgotten myself too._

_There is just pain…and blackness…and cold, hard ice._

“Vitya.”

_Who is that?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuuri barely remembered getting off of the plane and being herded along by Mari and Minako, first to the hotel, to check in and put their things away, then they met in the lobby and climbed into a waiting car that took them to the nearby hospital. They found Yakov waiting for them in the hospital lobby when they arrived, and he motioned for them to move in close for a moment.

“How is Victor?” Yuuri asked anxiously, “He’s still…?”

“He is alive, yes,” Yakov confirmed, rubbing his chin, “but I am afraid that his condition is still critical. He is in surgery and we’ve been assigned a private room to wait in. If you will come with me.”

The three followed him out of the lobby and down several long hallways, then onto an elevator and up several floors.

“How is Yurio?” Mari asked worriedly, “We picked up some news on the way over, and it said that he had suffered a serious leg injury, but that no one would speculate on how that would affect his ability to skate in the next season.”

Yuuri felt his heart sink at the heavy look that came into Yakov’s tired eyes at the question.

“Our Yuri is still being evaluated and they haven’t made any projections, however…there are bone fragments in the knee and ankle joints of his right leg. The one who attacked him knew just where to hit him to cause the most damage.”

“Oh my god,” Yuuri gasped, covering his mouth with his hands, “Yurio…”

“He is a strong boy and he is still young,” Yakov added, “We are going to wait and see if he will need surgery or if physical therapy is the best choice, once the leg is mended enough.”

“Otabek must be beside himself,” Minako said, shaking her head sadly.

“I can’t get him to leave the hospital,” Yakov sighed, “but of course, my greatest worry right now is for Vitya. When he arrived, they found some bleeding in his brain and they were worried about brain swelling. He has not been conscious except for a little bit in the ambulance on the way here.”

He gave Yuuri a sympathetic look.

“I know you are very worried, and you’ve had a long flight. There are several sofas to rest on, and there is coffee. There are vending machines in the cafeteria if you are hungry.”

“We’ve got some food that Mom put together before we left,” Mari said, indicating one of her bags, “She and Dad figured that we wouldn’t want to leave the hospital once we arrived.”

Yakov nodded.

“The doctor has been giving us updates every so often, so we should be hearing from her soon. Still, even once the surgery is completed, there will be a long recovery period before we are able to see him. Even then, only two will be allowed in Vitya’s room at any time.”

“Well, thank you for taking care of him,” Yuuri said gratefully, “I wish that I could have been here with him.”

He gave a troubled sigh and shook his head.

“Although Vitya, himself, warned me that the situation would be complicated if something serious happened to him, here in Russia. He did everything he could to make sure that I would be allowed to be with him, but we’ve both been aware all along of the hard facts. Our marriage isn’t legal here, and the law is not on our side. We have to be careful what we say and how we act in public. And now…we can’t be sure that we’ll even be allowed to be together.”

Yakov’s frown deepened and he laid a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder.

“Don’t you worry. I have seen to that, at least for now. This is why I had him transported into Moscow, and to a hospital I knew would be more lenient towards the two of you. I will warn you that there are still going to be some staff members who may give you trouble. And not only that, but there is a chance that Vitya will need to be transferred to Saint Petersburg, once he is out of immediate danger and stabilized.”

“They might have to move him?” Yuuri asked, giving the old coach a look of alarm, “Why, when he’s in such serious condition?”

Yakov gave a ragged sigh.

“The hospital in Saint Petersburg has a special unit for just this kind of injury, and it is staffed by the very best doctors. The doctor assigned to Vitya’s case here has recommended the move as soon as Vitya is stable enough to make the trip. But right now, we have no idea if he can reach that point. We are focused just on the surgery and bringing the bleeding and swelling under control.”

“You said that Vitya was awake a little bit?” Yuuri asked.

Yakov nodded.

“Just mere moments, here and there, and he wasn’t himself.”

“What do you mean?” asked Mari.

“For one thing, he spoke only in Russian, and if you know Vitya for any length of time, you know that he will interject English or French words, or more recently, of course, Japanese. Also, his speech was slurred, and he didn’t seem to know where he was, what had happened. He didn’t seem to know who I was. He just kept indicating he was in pain. That was all.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all,” Minako said worriedly.

“We are hoping that the surgery will stabilize Vitya and that he will be more like himself after he has rested in the recovery room.”

“Mr. Feltsman,” a female voice called from the doorway to the waiting area.

“Ah,” Yakov said, looking up at the doctor, “Yuuri, this is Doctor Zykova. She is the doctor in charge of Vitya’s treatment.”

“Hello Yuuri,” the doctor said in English, nodding briefly, “I am glad to see you’ve arrived safely. I’m sure you are worried about Victor, so I will get right to the point. It has taken some time, but Victor’s condition is serious but stable now. The bleeding we found earlier has stopped, and although there is swelling, we are doing all we can to see that it does not worsen. He is in the recovery room, and we will be monitoring his condition for several hours before moving him to a room in our ICU. Once there, he will be allowed to have two visitors at a time. Visitation in the ICU is usually allowed to family only, but Mr. Feltsman has sought and received permission for you to be treated as family.”

“Thank you…so very much!” Yuuri said gratefully.

The doctor nodded.

“You’re welcome. Now, it is likely that it will be some time before Victor is ready for visitors, so I want all of you to take some time now to eat and rest. You are welcome to use the resources here or to have things brought in as you need. My nurses and I are going to be constantly monitoring Victor’s condition, and we will update you every hour during the time while he is in the recovery room.”

“Thank you again.”

Yuuri watched silently as the doctor left, then he sighed heavily and sat down in a chair. Mari brought her shoulder bag over and sat down next to him, where she began to dig through the contents.

“I am going to go and check in on our Yuri,” Yakov informed the others, “I will send Otabek out here to eat.”

“We’ll take care of him,” Mari promised.

“I’m gonna go and give your parents a call,” Minako said, heading out of the room.

“C’mon,” Mari said, extending her hand to offer her anxious brother a serving of the food she had brought, “you know it’s going to be a long wait, and you need to keep your strength up for him.”

“Yeah, okay,” Yuuri answered numbly.

He accepted the food, but found that he couldn’t seem to even taste it as he ate, and it sat heavily in his stomach, making it throb uncomfortably for a long time after. Mari stole glances at him, shaking her head and frowning, but she kept her thoughts to herself as they waited. She perked up slightly as Otabek entered the room, looking pale and worried.

“Hey,” she greeted the Kazakhstani skater, “how is Yurio doing?”

Otabek sighed and shook his head sadly.

“As well as can be expected, I suppose. They have put a cast on his leg and he has a lot of pain and bruising on his back. He has a concussion, but it is minor. He should be released from the hospital tomorrow.”

“Well, that part’s good at least.”

“Yes, although I think the worst thing is that we just don’t know how well those joints are going to function once the cast is removed.”

“How is he…you know, mentally?” Mari asked.

“Ah…he is angry and he’s tormented, but unlike his usual self, he is quiet. He’s very worried about Victor.”

“Yeah,” Mari sighed, “we all are too.”

“Yuri is being allowed regular visitation now, if you would like to see him.”

“Sure. Okay, that would be good. Do you think he’d like some of this food mom and dad sent? Are we allowed to take it in?”

“It’s fine,” Otabek affirmed, “I was going to bring something in for him anyway, but I think he’ll be happy you’re here and maybe it will take his mind off of things for a little while if you visit.”

“Okay, I’ll go on in.”

“Would it be all right if I went in too?” Yuuri asked, suddenly breaking his silence, “I don’t think I’ll be let in to see Vitya for a long time, so…”

Otabek exchanged a quick glance with Mari and nodded.

“I think he’d appreciate that.”

The two siblings left Otabek with Minako and followed the directions they’d been given to Yurio’s hospital room. They heard the younger man’s voice as they approached the room.

“You don’t have to stay, Yakov,” Yurio insisted, “You should be out there holding the pork cutlet bowl’s hand. He’s probably crying a lot.”

Yuuri let out an indignant huff of breath and entered the room, making very sure that the blonde skater saw he was _not crying_.

Mari looked from Yuuri to Yurio and hastily broke the tense silence between the two.

“Hey, how are you feeling, Yurio?” she asked, offering him the food she had brought, “Mom and dad thought you might not be enjoying the hospital food, so they sent some from home.”

“Thanks,” Yurio said, immediately reaching for the food, “I’m starved, and you’re right, the food sucks here.”

He started to eat, talking in between bites.

“So, have you heard anything new?”

“No,” Yuuri answered, “Nothing more than what I’m sure Yakov’s already told you. We’re just waiting.”

Yurio paused his eating and narrowed his eyes, studying Yuuri quietly for a moment.

“Victor’s going to be okay.”

Yuuri looked back at him silently, and the Russian youth scowled.

“Did you hear me?” he snapped, “I said he’s going to be all right! So stop looking so much like a sad, scared puppy, okay? You’re annoying when act like that.”

“Act like what?” Yuuri snapped back, his temper slipping and tears forming in the corners of his eyes, “Like the person I love most in this world was attacked because he loves _me_? Because our love is the reason he’s lying there with a head injury and I don’t even know what he’s going to be like when he wakes up?”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Yurio said angrily, “Victor is going to be Victor, and you shouldn’t be thinking that what happened to him, happened to him because of you. It wasn’t you.”

“Yes it was!” Yuuri sobbed his hands clenching, “You can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that Vitya isn’t in that room, beaten up and having surgery because of his love for me!”

“Um, hey…guys?” Mari interjected.

Neither of the young men seemed to notice her.

“I _am_ looking you in the eyes and goddamned saying that!” Yurio shouted, “It’s not you, and you shouldn’t say that it is. The only one responsible for putting Victor in this hospital is the fucking bastard who attacked him! I was _there_! I got attacked too. Do you think I’m sitting here right now, whining about how I got attacked because of my love for Otabek? NO! So, stop thinking that and just think how you’re going to help Victor get better, okay?”

Mari blinked and exchanged befuddled looks with her suddenly speechless brother.

“You know,” she said, shaking her head, “that…actually makes a lot of sense.”

“What?” Yuuri said in a flustered tone.

“What do you mean, what?” his sister said, matter-of-factly, “Yurio’s right. You and Victor did absolutely nothing wrong. Victor’s not here because of you, and if that’s what you’re thinking, then you need to stop.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri mused, clenching and unclenching his hands, “How am I supposed to do that?”

“Hey,” Otabek said suddenly, peeking in through the hospital room door, “Yuuri, you and Yakov need to come back to the waiting room. The doctor said that Victor’s in recovery. She wants to get you ready for when you’ll be let in to see him.”

Yuuri bolted out of the room, leaving the others looking after him.

“Damn, he’s in bad shape,” Yurio sighed, looking at Mari, “Take care of him, okay?”

Mari couldn’t quite cover the little chuckle that escaped her.

“Yeah,” she agreed, “I’ll do that.”

XXXXXXXXXX

_I feel something different now._

_I’ve lain here frozen on the ice for I don’t know how long now, and I’ve had the strange feeling like I was just waiting. I didn’t know what or who I was waiting for. There is pain in my head so awful that it makes fiery flashes in front of my eyes. I can’t see anything but the red and orange and yellow of that flame. But I do not feel the flame’s heat. It’s still so very cold all through me. I want to cry, but there are no tears. I want to scream, but my voice won’t sound._

_Why?_

_What is happening?_

“Vitya?”

_Wh-who is that?_

_Is there someone there?_

“V-Vitya, I’m here now. The flight took a long time and you were having surgery, then you were in recovery for a long time before they would let me in to see you.”

_There are tears in his voice._

“I…ah, I went to see Yurio.”

_Yurio?_

“He got pretty banged up too, but he’s really tough. I know he’s going to be okay.”

_Wait, is he touching me?_

“Vitya, I’m really scared. I need you to be okay. I know it’s stupid, but…I keep thinking about how, just before I flew back, you kissed me and you promised that you would come back to Japan after the exhibition, and we would have pork cutlet bowls and soak in the hot spring together. That’s what we should be doing!”

_I feel something warm on my hand, the first warmth I have felt since I woke here. He keeps repeating that name. Is it my name? I don’t remember._

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Vitya. Don’t get excited. You’ve just had surgery. You need to rest.”

_Who is this man?_

_Why does his hand feel so warm? Why do I feel the sunshine in his voice when he speaks? Everywhere he touches…my face, my hair, my hand…they all begin to feel warm again. I want to open my eyes, but all I see is blackness. I keep trying to speak, but…_

“Vitya?”

_He’s crying harder._

“Just try to rest, okay? I’m gonna stay right here.”

_I feel dizzy again, but I’m still warmer now._

“H-he said something in Russian. I know a little, but…I didn’t understand.”

_I’m so tired. Maybe I will go to sleep for awhile._

_Wait._

_Another voice?_

“He said…it’s dark and he’s cold.”

“But, his eyes are open, Yakov!”

_My eyes are open?_

_Why can’t I see?_


	4. Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri struggles to keep his composure as Victor lies, unconscious, in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Day 3 of the 12 Days of Vic-mas! Love to all, Spunky...oh, best to keep tissues close by if you're like me...

Yuuri was sure that the steps he took to reach Victor’s hospital room were the longest he had ever experienced in all of his life. His heart throbbed painfully with every step, and he felt a sinking sensation as he passed the nurse’s station and followed Yakov to the doorway. He took a steadying breath before entering, but nothing could properly prepare him for the sight that met his eyes.

Victor reclined in the bed, his head bound in a thick bandage with messy strands of silvery hair spilling over the edges and his flesh so very pale, it looked otherworldly. Fluids and medication seeped into his right arm in slow, steady drips through long tubing that fed it into a needle that had been taped securely into place.

_Victor faints just getting vaccinations. It’s probably good he’s not really aware._

He stiffened as Victor’s voice sounded sluggishly in a few panted words in Russian.

“Wait, is he awake?” Yuuri whispered, giving Yakov a horrified look, “What did he say? Something about stopping?”

“He isn’t exactly awake. The doctor said he is delirious…talking while mostly asleep. He…said that it hurts,” Yakov translated in a somber voice, “He wants them to stop it hurting.”

“Can’t they do anything?” asked Yuuri, lacing and unlacing his fingers nervously.

“Not right now. No. It has to wait a little longer while they try to monitor the swelling. Maybe try to distract him.”

“I don’t know what I can do,” Yuuri mused, “especially if he’s not really awake.”

He sat down next to the Russian and took Victor’s limp, sweaty hand in his.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said softly, “I’m right here, Vitya.”

At the touch of his hand and the softly spoken words, Victor flinched and moaned. The monitors attached to the Russian skater instantly sounded a warning.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Vitya,” Yuuri soothed him, kissing the hand he held, “You’ve just had surgery. You need to rest now.”

“Ah-eh…wh-what is…this place?” Victor mumbled incoherently, continuing to speak in Russian.

Tears filled Yuuri’s eyes and leaked onto his face.

“Vitya!” he sobbed, covering his face with his hands for a moment, “Just try to rest, okay? I’m gonna stay right here.”

Yuuri stiffened as a ragged groan sounded deep in Victor’s chest and he expelled a few more barely understandable Russian words that Yakov translated.

“He says it’s dark and he’s cold. He’s just repeating that.”

Yuuri’s head tilted slightly and he studied his husband’s pale, sweating face for a moment. Then, he looked back at the Russian coach worriedly.

“But…his eyes are open, Yakov!”

Yakov’s face fell, but with an effort, he pushed his own emotions down and cleared his throat.

“They said that one of the things that can happen is temporary blindness.”

Yuuri blinked and rubbed his eyes, seeking Yakov’s desperately.

“You said temporary, right?” he inquired anxiously, “He’ll…it’ll go away and he’ll be able to see again?”

“Yes,” the old coach affirmed, “That’s what usually happens. Sometimes, if the damage is very bad, it can be permanent, but like I told you, it is usually temporary.”

Yuuri’s heart continued to pound fitfully, but he swallowed hard and put his focus back on his injured partner. He continued to hold and caress Victor’s hand as the Russian skater seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. Yakov watched him through brooding eyes for several minutes before breaking the silence between them.

“Vitya…would be glad that you are here.”

Yuuri swallowed hard, giving the old coach a tormented look.

“I should have been with him at the ice rink.”

Yakov’s frown deepened.

“You don’t think it would have made a difference if you had been there,” he said, shaking his head firmly, “It all happened very quickly. There was nothing that anyone could do.”

Yuuri’s shaking hands clenched into fists.

“Victor and Yurio did something,” he managed in a low, tortured growl.

“Yes,” Yakov agreed, giving his Russian student a sad, affectionate look, “they were reckless and they were hurt…but they acted when the others were frozen. Their actions saved lives. I know that’s little comfort to you right now, but…”

Yuuri bit his lip gently, looking down at Victor’s pale face as his heart gradually slowed and he calmed somewhat. He drew in a shaky breath and looked up at Yakov again.

“I h-heard on the way over that Nina Dorova’s partner, Riyurik, was killed.”

The words hung heavily in the air and Yakov’s jaw tightened in reaction.

“Yes.”

Yuuri’s burning eyes closed for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” he offered softly, “Nina and Riyurik have been really friendly to me since I moved over from Japan. I mean, everyone’s been great, but…they were so kind.”

“Yes,” Yakov sighed, “Nina is completely devastated. To lose her partner at such a young age…and they have been partners since both began skating.”

“Yeah, Victor told me.”

“Did he tell you that Nina is pregnant with his child?” Yakov sighed, “The two of them…just seventeen, young and heedless.”

He paused for a moment, studying Yuuri’s worried expression.

“How are your friend, Yuko, and the babies?”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, managing a small smile as he looked up at the elderly coach, “Yuko is doing great. They just did the second ultrasound.”

“Right, I thought Vitya was joking when he told me there were four babies.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, tearing up again, “Quads. He was so proud of that. We uh, found out that we’re both fathers, although we won’t know until after they’re born which of us fathered which children. Vitya said he doesn’t care. We were going to spoil them all to death. He couldn’t wait to get them their first skates. It’s just like him to love them so much already that he would forget they have to learn to walk first.”

He looked down at his sleeping husband and a tear leaked onto his face.

“Now he doesn’t even know they exist.”

“Yuuri,” Yakov said quietly, moving closer and placing a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, “why do you do that?”

Yuuri looked back at him questioningly.

“Why do you speak about him like he’s gone? Vitya is right in front of you.”

“I know,” Yuuri answered, rubbing his eyes and sniffing, “but…it’s like he’s another person, Yakov. You can tell he doesn’t really know me. He isn’t even speaking English, the language we have in common. I mean, I’m learning Russian and he’s been learning Japanese, but because we always spoke English to each other when we first met, it just became the language we used with each other.”

“I understand. Just remember that the doctor said that there were a lot of things that could be affected by the swelling in Vitya’s brain right now. It’s likely that all of those things will go away as the swelling goes down.”

Yuuri swallowed hard, blinking several times to clear his eyes.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “that’s what they said.”

_Though we both know that it’s possible that some things won’t come back. He doesn’t want to say it because he doesn’t want me to be any more anxious than I already am. But I’m aware, and I’m so scared for him!_

He startled at the sound of a nurse’s voice that issued from the hospital room door.

“Mr. Feltsman?”

“Yes,” Yakov answered.

“I’ve been asked to bring you to Yuri Plisetsky’s room, sir. There are some results that the doctor wants to go over with him and he asked for you to be there.”

Yakov glanced at Yuuri.

“It’s okay,” he assured the old coach, “I’ll be fine.”

“Hmm,” he followed the nurse out, then stopped her outside the room, “Please have one of the ladies in the waiting area come in to sit with him. He suffers from anxiety, so Vitya wouldn’t want him left alone.”

“Of course, Mr. Feltsman,” the nurse replied sympathetically, “If you’ll just go on down the hall to Mr. Plisetsky’s room, I will bring one of the ladies.”

“Thank you.”

Yakov hurried down the hall and into Yuri’s treatment room, where he found Otabek sitting by the bed, holding Yuri’s hand as the doctor faced the two of them.

“Thank you for joining us, Mr. Feltsman,” the doctor said as Yakov joined them.

“I hear there is news about Yuri’s condition?”

“Yes,” the doctor affirmed, “I had a closer look at the more detailed scans of Yuri’s knee and ankle, and I do see some bone fragments in those joints.”

“What does that mean?” Yuri asked quickly, “It will get better, right?”

“I do think it will improve, but we’ll be looking at it periodically to watch how it’s healing, and you may need some cortisone shots or perhaps a surgery, depending on the outcome. I would tell you now, but a lot depends on how your leg heals. So, what’s important is resting, elevating, take your pain medication as directed, and once your cast comes off, I will be sending you to a physical therapist who will work with you to see if you can be brought back to competition standard.”

Yuri’s face fell.

“ _If_?” he repeated in a low, rough voice, one hand tightening on Otabek’s.

The doctor sighed.

“I want to tell you that you are young and healthy, so if anyone can come back from this type of injury, you can, but you need to be prepared for the fact that you are going to need sufficient time to heal. If you try to restart your training too soon or if you train too hard too soon, you could reinjure the joints. An injury like this can also leave residual pain and instability in those joints, so that will need to be assessed and managed. For now, I want you to just focus on resting and taking care of yourself. I see you have a lot of support, which is very good. You want to use the support you have to gain the best possible outcome.”

“I will,” Yuri answered more softly.

He remained quiet as the doctor conducted a brief examination, then took his leave. Otabek continued to hold his hand, watching as he could almost see the wheels turning in the young champion’s mind.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said calmly, “You’re smart enough to follow their advice to the letter to be sure you’ll heal right and you’re strong enough to come back from this. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I promise.”

“I will also,” Yakov added, “I have seen this kind of thing in skaters your age and I know you will do this.”

“Yeah,” Yuri agreed, an edge of apprehension in his voice, “I will.”

He took a steadying breath and looked out the window.

“Is Victor awake yet?” he asked.

Yakov exchanged a glance with Otabek.

“Not really. He is delirious and speaking in only Russian. I don’t think he recognizes anyone. And…I don’t think he can see.”

Yuri’s already pale face went a shade whiter.

“He’s blind?”

“It seems so, at the moment, but you have to remember…”

“Yeah, it’s because of the brain swelling, right?”

“Yes. The swelling has to go down and then some of the pressure will be relieved and the doctors will know more. For now, all we can do is wait.”

“Just like him to keep everyone waiting,” Yuri complained bitterly, blinking away the burning in his eyes, “Idiot! Is someone with the pork cutlet bowl?”

“The nurse was going to get one of the ladies to go in when I left,” Yakov informed him, “If you are all right, I am going to go and check in with Nina Dorova’s family to see how she is. I don’t know if you heard, but Riyurik didn’t make it.”

“Shit.”

“I’m sorry,” Otabek said, caressing the hand he held.

“I got to know them while I was in the junior’s division,” Yuri said somberly, “Some of the guys were cocky assholes, but Riyurik was a good guy.”

He paused, cringing as tears flooded the corners of his still somehow fierce eyes.

“It fucking sucks!” he seethed, “I hope they take every one of those shitheads out and shoot them!”

“I heard that two have been apprehended,” Yakov informed him, “and I’m sure that those two will give up more of the others.”

“I’ll volunteer to go down and tear parts off of them until they do!” Yuri shouted furiously, tears leaking onto his face, “I don’t care about their politics. You DON’T FUCKING DO THIS TO PEOPLE!”

“Easy,” Otabek soothed him, squeezing his shaking hand and wiping at the younger man’s eyes with his handkerchief, “You’ve got to stay focused on yourself. There are doctors taking care of our friends.”

“You mean the ones that aren’t dead,” Yuri spat.

“We’re gonna come through this,” the Kazakhstani skater assured him, “We have lost friends, and other friends have been hurt, but we’re going to tough it out together, all right?”

“Yeah,” Yuri grunted, sagging back against the pillows, “Yakov, tell Nina’s parents…I’m sorry about Riyurik.”

“Of course,” Yakov promised quietly, “You rest now.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuuri held onto his composure until Yakov was out of the room, then he leaned forward and buried his face in his unconscious husband’s shoulder, his body shaking with silent sobs.

“Vitya,” he whispered, clenching at the thin hospital blanket and his husband’s hospital gown, “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know if you can hear me, and when you’re even a little awake you can’t see me! You don’t know me! What can I do, Vitya? Tell me what I’m supposed to do!”

He broke completely, choking on louder cries and calling his husband’s name repeatedly. Mari appeared in the doorway and paused, watching silently as Yuuri continued to cry inconsolably. She was just about to step forward, when she caught sight of a little movement on the far side of the bed. Inexplicably, Victor’s hand moved, lifting slightly and shaking as the graceful fingers sank into Yuuri’s messy hair and stroked gently. Yuuri’s head rose off of the injured Russian’s shoulder and he grabbed at his husband’s hand, holding it in place as Victor’s fingers continued to tenderly caress him.

“V-vitya?” he called again, watching his husband’s sleeping face closely.

“I…think maybe it’s a reflex?” Mari suggested tentatively, “I don’t think he’s awake, Yuuri.”

“N-no, he isn’t,” Yuuri managed, wiping his eyes with his free hand, “but he’s in there. I feel it. Maybe he’s not awake, but somehow, some part of him hears me.”

“That’s right,” his sister agreed, sitting down beside him and taking out a packet of tissues.

She carefully cleaned his tears away while Yuuri sat, staring at Victor with a shattered expression, leaning into his little caresses.

“Victor’s always so strong,” Yuuri sighed, “He’s the one who’s hurt, but he’s still there for me. I need to be strong for him too.”

He drew and released slower breaths, closing his eyes and nuzzling Victor’s soft hand while Mari hugged him from the side.

“You’re both strong people, Yuuri,” she reassured him, “You and Victor. Hang in there, all right? Victor just needs to rest. The swelling is going to go down and he’ll get better. You just keep focused on that. Victor knows you’re here with him.”

“But…he doesn’t know me,” Yuuri said sadly, “I’m like a stranger to him.”

“He’s still comforted by you being here,” Mari insisted, “Even if he doesn’t remember everything, I’m sure he can feel that you’re someone who really cares about him, someone who loves him. Keep encouraging him. He’s going to come out of this. You don’t want him to wake up and find you a wreck, you know. He’d feel bad, knowing that it hurt you so much.”

“I don’t feel so great, myself,” Yuuri confessed, “I feel like I’m being selfish, but if I’m honest, I’ve had moments when I felt angry at him.”

“Angry at Victor?” Mari repeated, tilting her head slightly, “Why?”

“I know he was being brave and he was protecting the younger skaters, because Victor’s that kind of person. He couldn’t watch as they were being beaten by those horrible people. Still, there’s a selfish part of me that wishes he wouldn’t have jumped in there, that he wouldn’t have risked himself.”

“Well, you know he would never forgive himself for standing by and letting _anyone_ be hurt. You’re like that too.”

“Yeah, but you know what hurts more than anything?” Yuuri mused, looking back at his unconscious husband.

“What?”

“There were more people than just the ones who jumped in to protect those kids,” Yuuri pointed out, “I want to think they just froze up or they were too scared to move, but the selfish part of me wants to be angry because they let Victor and Yurio jump in and be hurt while they stood by and did nothing. I guess that’s not fair, considering how fast everything happened…”

“Probably,” Mari agreed, “You know, it’s best not to think about that, Yuuri.”

“I know. It just…kind of haunts me, you know?”

“Yeah,” Mari confessed softly, leaning against her brother’s side, “me too.”


End file.
